Royal recognised for work in community

The Trust has been shortlisted in the Health Service Journal’s Improving Environmental and Social Sustainability category for the work it does alongside Carillion to support local employment, benefit local businesses and provide valuable work placements and apprenticeships.

The HSJ Awards recognise achievements across the NHS. This year 1412 entries were submitted with 229 being shortlisted for an award.

The Improving Environmental and Social Sustainability award received 20 entries, with nine being shortlisted.

Since work began in February 2014, 2,412 local workers have been employed on site, with 575 of those workers coming from local areas with high unemployment rates. 115 apprenticeships and 176 work experience placements have also been provided on site.

As part of the Liverpool Community Fund, which was set up by Carillion as part of the deal for the new Royal, 80 local organisations have shared £100,000 over three years, helping them to promote healthy living, building stronger communities, cleaner, safer, greener communities and education.

The latest round of funding went to 28 projects who shared £33,330. Among the successful bids was Genie in the Gutter who run a family intervention project to reconnect substance misusers with their families.

Carillion has established a number of successful schemes including two upskilling programmes, developed with Liverpool Community College and more recently UCATT to provide local people with refresher health and safety training, and help them back into work. From these courses, 20 people have been employed, some on the new Royal site, some at Carillion’s Anfield project and two went on to careers working for Jaguar Land Rover.

Carillion has also been working closely with HMP Kennet to provide ex-offenders with skills to help them find employment. From the 2015 intake, three people applied for NVQ courses and one has since been promoted to a role as supervisor. From the 2016 programme 24 passed their Construction Skills Certification Scheme Health and Safety test.

Ian Stenton, head of sustainability at the Royal, said: “The new Royal sustainable communities programme has really impacted local people throughout the course of the construction project.

“It’s targeted people furthest from the labour market and has delivered training, skills and jobs. In addition, the Trust and Carillion continue to work to support local community organisations and leave a lasting legacy from the project.”

Simon Webb, project lead for Carillion on the new Royal, said: "Carillion wanted to ensure that they left a lasting legacy after the completion of the Royal and the Community programmes that we have been involved in with the Trust will ensure that this is the case.”